Community Curator Blog

Welcome to the Community Curator Blog!

We are thrilled to bring you along on our journey as we transform The Dining Room space into a vibrant and evolving display of our shared heritage through the lens of food. Our project aims to breathe new life into what was once a static museum exhibit, turning it into a dynamic, ever-changing exploration of our local collections. With the help of 20 dedicated Community Curators, recruited through our wonderful partners, Awakening Minds, Theatre in Flow, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, and the Association of Ukrainians Great Britain: Rochdale Branch, we will uncover and celebrate the stories and everyday objects that shape our lives but are missing from our collections.

Stay tuned to our blog as we share updates from our meetings, insights from our sessions with the artists, and the progress we’re making with The Dining Room project. We look forward to taking you along on this exciting and transformative journey!

30th July to 2nd August – Feel Good Family Picnics

19th June – Creating a community relish

12th July – Chopping Club At The Libraries, Bootle

26th June – Foodology at Angle Square

22nd June – Dumpling Day at Rochdale Ukrainian Centre

20th June – Stained Glass and storytelling at the Arts and Heritage Resource Centre

13th June – Test tiles and sprig moulds at the Pioneers Museum

7th June – Hot drinks and Shakshuka: Manchester City Art Gallery and Manchester Jewish Museum

Take a peek into our collections! – Sewing machines

Sewing machines and cross stitch

Young Curators Update

Take a peek into our collections! – Sprig moulding

16th May – Ceramic sprig mould making with Aliyah Hussain at the Pioneers Museum

Food fables by Kyam

15th May – Food myths and fables with Kyam at the Arts and Heritage Resource Centre

Take a peek into our collections! – Signature quilts

2nd May – Dining Table: Decorations, celebration and community at the Arts and Heritage Resource Centre

19th April – Telling our stories and introducing oral history with Kyam at the The Arts and Heritage Resource Centre

Take a peek into our collections! – Bargeware and commerative cups

18th April – Commemorative cups with Aliyah Hussain at the Pioneer’s Museum

5th April – Seeing the architects’ designs and meeting the artists

Take a peek into our collections! – Food packaging

Ibukun Baldwin and Rochdale Youth Service

Take a peek into our collections! – The Herbarium

8th March – The tools we cook with and the things we eat: A visit to the Arts and Heritage Resource Centre

1st March- Deeplish Community Centre: Bring a bowl